Finding the right person to lead the University of Hawaii after UH President David Lassner retires at the end of 2024 is too important to be done in secrecy and silos.

UH Board of Regents Chair Alapaki Nahale-a confirmed there are many who want to have their say in the selection process and are sharing their perspectives or preferences with members of the board.

That’s fine as long as faculty also have their say in the selection process and everything remains transparent and above board. In the last two Board of Regents’ meetings, certain regents unabashedly made their desires known and suggested removing Lassner prematurely and installing a new president — revealing a haphazard process that would give any legitimate candidate pause about even throwing their name in the hat.

The rationale that the new president has to be in place at the start of the new academic year or to approve the next UH budget simply does not pass the red-face test. We hope legislators respect the process and will not preselect their preferred candidates and force regents to oblige simply because legislators control the purse strings of the UH. Faculty will be keeping a keen eye on what transpires in the upcoming Board of Regents meeting on Jan. 4.

Faculty recognize we cannot afford to have a puppet and servant at the helm of the university. It needs to be an individual who has demonstrated strong academic leadership, operates with integrity, and promotes academic freedom at a time when academic freedom is being threatened at universities across our nation. Our new UH president must also have a deep appreciation for our multi-ethnic and multi-cultural environment that draws upon the rich traditions of Hawaii, Asia and the Pacific rim.

Everyone in Hawaii has a vested interest in the future of the UH. Tuition at mainland universities is simply out of reach for many local families. The UH’s 10 campuses statewide are a Hawaii high school graduate’s ticket to higher education and a better quality of life and future.

For faculty, the UH’s Carnegie R1 designation as a top-tier research institution is a place to build their career and engage in groundbreaking research that benefits the state and the world. As one of the main economic engines in our state, we all need the UH to be successful and prosperous.

The UH Board of Regents have made big mistakes in the past. In 2001, the regents conducted unannounced, closed-door meetings, and agreed to a lucrative contract with former UH President Evan Dobelle. In his first year, he was paid $442,000 — more than double the salary of outgoing UH President Kenneth Mortimer and four times the salary of then-Gov. Ben Cayetano.

Ironically, at the same time, the regents raised tuition for students, and Gov. Cayetano claimed that the state could not afford to increase faculty pay. This scenario led to a faculty strike. Adding insult to injury, Dobelle brought in his own management team, paying them up to twice as much as those who were being replaced.

Dobelle was eventually terminated, and Hawaii taxpayers had to foot the bill for his departure. Dobelle and his attorneys made out with $1.6 million in their pockets.

Lack of transparency affects all of us, and as individuals who are concerned about the future of the UH, we hope we have all learned that clandestine meetings come with a hefty price tag.

The process needs to be pono. The UH deserves better, the state deserves better, and the people of Hawaii deserve better. Fool us once, shame on you. Fool us twice, shame on us.

David Duffy of UH-Manoa, Karla Hayashi of UH-Hilo and Sarita Rai of UH-Manoa are the president, vice president and treasurer, respectively, of the board of directors of the University of Hawaii Professional Assembly (UHPA), which represents 2,700 faculty across UH’s 10-campus system.